WARNING OF TRAGIC REPERCUSSIONS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22438, 19 September 1947, Page 5

WARNING OF TRAGIC REPERCUSSIONS

SIKHS HOLD UP 1,000,000 REFUGEES

(N.Z.P. A.—Reuter —Copyright.) (10.15 a.m.) LAHORE, September 18. The Pakistan Finance Minister, Ghulam Mohamed, forecast tragic repercussions in West Punjab unless the Indian Government implement immediately its undertaking to feed, care for and protect Moslem refugees in East Punjab. He added that the Sikh underground movement had intimidated and thwarted local administration in carrying out this undertaking.

Mohamed said the authorities’ failure to secure a free passage for Moslems through Amritsar held up the movement of more than 1,000,000 refugees.

"Thousands of these refugees have been without food, shelter or medical aid for days. They are growing too weak to move. Most of them arc moving on Loot without any supplies.

"We learn that they are dying at the rate of about 1000 a day. Something must be done within 48 hours.” The Pakistan Minister for Refugees, Abclur Rahman, claimed that 200,000 Moslem refugees were without food, shelter or clothing in three refugee camps m Delhi. He said the obstructionist attitude of the Sikhs hindered the evacuation of Moslem refugees. '

Reuter’s correspondetn in Lahore reports that 38 Sikh and Hindu refugees, including women and children, were killed while they were passing through Lahore yesterday. The Indian Government has issued a statement denying allegations that it had failed to deal with the riot situation in Delhi East Punjab. The events in these territories were the direct result of earlier events in West Punjab, said the statement. “People don’t uproot themselves from their homes by the million except when impelled by unbearable suffering and unspeakable terror.” The Government, the statement added, was prepared to accept the verdict of any impartial authority that, despite the suddenness of events, it had achieved a large measure of success which “could not be said of the Pakistan Government.” Moslems Kill Refugees The Indian Government spokesman, giving details of the attack on a long convoy of refugees moving from Pakistan yesterday, said that a large Moslem crowd attacked a section _of the convoy, killing 100 and wounding another 100. Gurkha troops killed 40 of the attackers. In another incident, the spokesman alleged that the Moslem escort of one relief convoy attacked another train of refugees in the Sliaikpura district, killing 60 and wounding 70. The spokesman said he believed the estimates which came from Pakistan sources were low. He added that considerable shooting and looting by Pakistan troops was reported from Western Punjab, across the border from KangraReuter’s correspondent in Karachi says that Chazanfar Ali Khan, the Pakistan Minister of Food, challenged the Sikh leader, Tara Singh, to agree to the appointment of an independent agency to check on convoys of refugees between East and West Punjab. Chazanfar Ali Khan said he was sure. the world would be able to judge the Hindu allegations about the Moslems were false. It was officially announced in New Delhi yesterday that Indian troops had been sent “as a precaution” to the Indian States adjoining the maritime west coast State of Junagarh, which announced it had joined Pakistan. Junagarh has a Moslem ruler but a Hindu majority. The Indian Government Information Ministry reported considerable killing and looting by Pakistan troops in western Punjab. An Indian military spokesman accused the Pakistan troops of killing and looting while moving through India to Pakistan, and said that Pakistan was not protecting the refugees as much as India.